


TGatG - Afterlife

by TheMetalReaper



Series: The Ghost and the Guard [6]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: A little bit of platonic fluff never hurt anyone, Afterlife, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, and sadness of course
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-12 22:39:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16004759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMetalReaper/pseuds/TheMetalReaper
Summary: I got a couple requests for this from here and my tumblr (@the-metal-reaper), so, here it is! Mike and Charlie enjoying their time in the afterlife!Enjoy!





	TGatG - Afterlife

_What is this?_ Mike looks around at the red-and-black forest around him. It all looks so… fake. He walks over to one of the trees, but no, it certainly looks real (except for the color, of course).

Mike continues to wander. “Where am I?”

“Mike?” Someone whispers to his right, and Mike turns to face it. He doesn’t see anyone. “Are you in here?”

After a minute, Mike spots the short figure of a girl in the forest ahead. Chuckling to himself, Mike creeps up behind her. He grabs her around the waist, and Charlie screams, heart racing.

“You _jerk!_ ” She laughs, her voice still high-pitched with fear.

“Hey, it’s just payback.”

The friends’ playful stance becomes a tight embrace.

Charlie watches Mike, a drop of worry in her eyes. “Where are we?”

“The afterlife, I presume. Because I’m pretty sure we’re completely dead now.”

Charlie giggles. “Huh. Come here. I gotta show you something.”

She leads Mike to the edge of a clearing, and they watch at the salmon-colored lake inside of it. To the left, there’s a dock, and on top of it is an old man, fishing.

“He hasn’t moved.” Charlie murmurs.

“Hello, you two.” The man says, presumably to them, without looking up. “Come sit with me a while.”

Mike and Charlie share a concerned glance, but walk over to stand by the old man. They look into the lake, and see something strange.

 _“Mike! Help!”_ Through the glassy surface of the lake, Charlie and Mike see William, sitting at a desk not unlike the one Michael had sat in barely even an hour before.

“It’s… _him_.” Mike grimaces, turning away. Charlie looks on in horror as a mutilated animatronic tears the killer to shreds. One second later, he reappears, panting and crying.

“Leave the demon to his demons. There is nothing else.” The old man smiles at Charlie. She glances back down at William, watching him quiver with fear.

Charlie whispers, “I-I… almost feel bad.”

Mike’s head whips up, fists almost shaking with anger. “Don’t.” He spits. “He deserves _every bit_ of it.”

_“Henry! Mike! Heeeeelp!!”_

Out of the corner of her eye, Charlie notices the old man watching them, a pensive smile on his face. Suddenly, everything clicks.

“Mike, I know it’s hard, but… you’re going to have to forgive him.”

“ _What?_ ”

“It’s the only way we can move on. I figure that’s why we don’t see anyone else here.”

Mike looks back into the lake, watching his father.

“He’s getting his comeuppance. I figure it’s about time we get ours.”

“But if you’ve already forgiven him, then why…”

“Because I can’t leave without you.”

“Oh.” Mike pauses. He really didn’t mind the thought of staying here forever, but _Charlie…_ she deserved better than this. Mike would have to let go of his resentment and hate, for her sake. But he wasn’t sure he could.

“Look,” Charlie places a tender hand on Mike’s shoulder. “I know that for the past twenty-something years, the only thing that’s kept you going has been getting revenge on your father. But he’s gone now. You won. Now it’s time to finally rest, to be happy again.”

With watery eyes, Mike pulls her closer. “You’re only partially right. The one thing keeping me going all these years… it’s been _you._ After Circus Baby’s Rentals, I was completely alone, abandoned by everyone I had considered a friend. Everyone except for you. I would’ve gone insane if you weren’t there every minute of every day, keeping me company. And now that we’re here, I’m more than willing to forgive that monster if it means you get to be happy.” He turns to the water, pain washing over his eyes. “I… I forgive you, father. Y-you did terrible things, but it’s out of my hands now.”

The minute those words leave Mike’s mouth, the picture fades, leaving the red-tinted water behind.

Putting aside his fishing pole, the old man walks over to the two friends. “Thank you, children. Now you can join the others.”

“The others? Who--” Before Charlie can finish, the old man gestures to a path behind him.

“They’re waiting for you.”

Charlie’s eyes light up with recognition as she grabs Mike’s hand and drags him down the path.

Soon, a group of people appears over the horizon. The tallest of them turns to the two friends. Charlie recognizes him instantly.

“ _Dad!_ ” She screams, hurling herself into the man’s arms.

Henry hold her tight. “Charlotte, I love you so much, and… I’m sorry. I let him—”

“Dad, please. You don’t need to apologize.”

Mike watches them, lingering behind. His face lights up when he sees the two children running towards him.

“Guys! I—” He’s cut off as his siblings tackle him, gripping both of his legs tightly.

Luke sobs, “M-mikey… I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too.” Mike smiles back. “So, so much.”

Sitting in Mike’s lap, Elizabeth fidgets with her hair. “I’m really sorry, Mikey. I hurt you really bad, and I hurt Charlie too, and—”

“You didn’t hurt me!” Appearing from behind her, Charlie wraps her arms around Elizabeth’s shoulders. “And besides, it was just a few scratches. I’m fine now, see?”

“I shouldn’t even be here.”

Mike barks, “Hey. Don’t say that. The thing back there, that hurt me and Charlie, that wasn’t you. We all know that.”

“T-thanks.” Elizabeth hiccups, smiling though her watery eyes.

Footsteps nearly silent in the pale red grass, Henry approaches the group. “Hello, everyone.”

“Hi, Mister Miller!” Luke and Elizabeth grin up at the man.

Charlie wraps her arm around Mike, pulling him close. “Dad, this is Mike Afton. You remember him, right?”

“Of course I do!” Henry smiles down at Mike, who gives back a nervous grin. “I honestly am sorry about everything that happened. If I had just--”

“ _Dad._ Seriously, you too?” Charlie sighs, glaring at him.

“Hey, it’s--”

She stands, glaring at the entire group. “Enough! Guys, we all know that this is everyone’s fault. We all know that there’s something that each of us did, or could’ve done to stop him, but it’s over now. We’re all free, and William Afton can never hurt another person again. It’s time to let go.”

Everyone sits in silence, exchanging glances, until Mike stands up and moves next to her. Luke, then Elizabeth, and finally Henry join the pair, and they walk off deeper into the forest.

Walking behind the group, Mike slips away. He climbs up a tree, finding that because of his longer arms and legs, it’s easier to climb higher than when he was a kid. Sighing happily, Mike watches the pink clouds drift across the sky.

“Mike?” The leaves shift behind him, and Charlie climbs up the tree, settling on a branch next to him.

“I’m so lucky, you know that?” Mike stares up at the clouds. “I’m so lucky. Despite everything awful that’s happened to me, I still have you guys. Luke and Henry forgive me, Elizabeth’s okay, and you’re here.” Charlie puts her head in his lap. “For the first time in a long time, I’m truly happy.”

“That’s good.”

“How about you? Are you happy?”

“How could I not be? I have a _family_ again!”

They shift closer to each other, getting teary-eyed.

“We both do.”


End file.
